Tesla model S - Impressions

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Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
One of my doctors has one and has offered to let me take it out tomorrow, so I figured a little premature thread creation to get HTSS_TR worked up in advance was in order
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I will update once I'm back from her clinic. Anybody have anything specific they want to know about before I take it out?


Doctors love them as they are good for business, 0 to 60 mph in 3 sec's with no engine noise is real good for nailing half blind pedestrians!

Any of the fast electric or hybrid jobs should have a stereo with an RPM related engine noise tape.

The new Top Gear (BBC 2) just did a test drive that was interesting, as the C of G is real low, so they corner well. No one said a word about the cost of a new battery!
 
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The test drive I enjoyed was a religious experience. I was too enthralled with driving to care, or even think of, the super duper touch screen controller.

Frankly, the screen is the one feature I don't like. I know it'll serve well as the GPS screen but those things always look dirty/scratched. I also realize that the screen's function is to eliminate lots of dash mounted switches and buttons.

Learn where the charging stations are. Kira
 
I thought Canadian doctors don't roll in money? Everybody knows that socialized medicine means providers barely can put food on their own table! Does that doctor moonlight as a private practitioner to be able to own Tesla S?

Of course, I am kidding.
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
I thought Canadian doctors don't roll in money? Everybody knows that socialized medicine means providers barely can put food on their own table! Does that doctor moonlight as a private practitioner to be able to own Tesla S?

Of course, I am kidding.


Believe me, the Doctors of Canada are doing fine financially
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Looking forward to OVERKILL's review.
 
Originally Posted By: Patman
I was just thinking the other day, I wonder if the Tesla has a feature that tells the owner where the nearest charging station is, that way when you're on a long road trip you can plan your rest stops for times when the battery needs charging.

When you enter your destination on the 17" screen, it will guide you to the appropriate super-charger station(s) along the route. Sometimes it may not get you the shortest route based on your driving style and speed, and it may use a more conservative power consumption calculation, this way you will never have empty battery before reaching the super-charger station.

Many Tesla owners travel coast to coast without paying a penny for fuel(in this case electric). Some paid a little for using "destination chargers" at hotels.

As everyone already knows, long distance travel in an EV is not as convenience as ICE vehicle, but with 200+ miles between fully charged battery a person in an EV should be able to travel about 3 hours then stop to charge battery and take a break for 30 minutes.

As of now, interstate travel in a Tesla vehicle is possible but a little inconvenience, it is very difficult and very time consuming with any other EV.
 
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Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR

Profit margin on each car Tesla sold is not the same as operating profit or loss per quarter or year. A growth company can have many years without profit because they are investing more every year to expand their products.


This would all make a lot of sense if you subtract the times Musk has predicted profitability "next quarter".

But it is a good explanation to fall back on after his failures to do so.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
One of my doctors has one and has offered to let me take it out tomorrow, so I figured a little premature thread creation to get HTSS_TR worked up in advance was in order
grin.gif


I will update once I'm back from her clinic. Anybody have anything specific they want to know about before I take it out?


Range under actual driving style, as opposed to hypermiling or grandma driving. No hoonage, just regular driving like anyone else would do.
 
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR

Profit margin on each car Tesla sold is not the same as operating profit or loss per quarter or year. A growth company can have many years without profit because they are investing more every year to expand their products.


This would all make a lot of sense if you subtract the times Musk has predicted profitability "next quarter".

But it is a good explanation to fall back on after his failures to do so.

If you look at number of cars Tesla produced since introduction of model S in 2012, you will see that their volume went up every year by more than 30-40%.

The equipment they bought every quarter/year to increase production did cost some small fortune, also employment increased every year too, from 2-3k in 2012 to more than 10k now and expected to be more than 20k by end of 2017.

Last year they made about 50k vehicles, they plan to make 500k by 2018(may be not that many) so they have to invest a lot of $ to achieve that volume.

Revenue - Expense = Profit or Lost.

This isn't an explanation, this is the fact. If you expect a car company expands their product line rapidly and at the same time reports some profit is not possible. Everybody knows that capital spending of any car company is much more than any other industry, that why car industry earn very little profit, percentage wise.
 
Originally Posted By: dgunay
What's the recommended OCI? lol


Plug it in the wall every 100 miles or 1 1/2 hours,whichever comes first :p
 
OK, so the drive was relatively short (only about 10-15 minutes) so couldn't really gauge battery life in any significant way. Out of respect for the owner, no pictures of the car will be posted, however it looks identical to this one:

20121214092941-e7950f37-me.jpg


The car is the 90D, not the faster P90D, so it is 415HP with 485lb-ft of torque. It does zero to 60 in 4.4 seconds and that is REALLY easy to do I discovered.

Patman: The huge screen/GPS shows you the location of all the charging stations (which are free). This car was not subscribed to the Auto Pilot feature.

HTSS_TR: Handling is surprisingly good, you can really feel the low centre of gravity. The AWD makes it feel significantly different from the M5, it is not tail-happy at all, if you power into a turn you can't seem to get the rear-end to step out. It comes shod in some factory Michelin tires which are surprisingly good (they are not PSS's or anything like that). It has multiple ride height options, though we spent the majority of the time with it in "Sport" which drops the car down a bit (not sure on the exact amount).

Performance:
Acceleration is like taking off in a really fast jet. With the AWD and torque of the electric motors, it just hooks solid and pulls like a freight train. The eerie silence and lack of shifting just adds to the experience. The car feels very balanced, but heavy. The weight being so low I'm sure aides in how well it sticks.

Controls:
The controls on the absolutely massive LCD take some getting used to but the screen is fantastic. There are no real buttons other than the one on the end of the gear selector. Interior space is extremely generous since there is no transmission tunnel or traditional centre console. The floor is completely flat save for the "tray" that is on the floor between the seats.

Comfort/fit and finish:
This one is going to be a bit subjective but here we go: The M5 was better put together inside. Better materials choice, better seats, better door handles, it felt far more like you were in a cockpit piloting the car than in the Tesla, which felt more like a Ford Fusion. The seats were decent, but not as good as the ones in the M5 or SRT-8 Charger. The M5 had the best factory seats I've experienced. The door trim and handles had a plastic feel to them, which surprised me at the price point ($110K). The M5 had soft-touch, leather and brushed aluminum. The Charger has decent door panels (suede) and I might posit them being a bit better here too (the bolster on the Charger panels attaches to the door in a funny fashion which doesn't affect functionality but has a strange appearance, that's my biggest gripe with them). The M5 and SRT-8 both have better steering wheels as well. Better materials, better feel.

Door panel spacing (between the door and pillar) and trim spacing was a little off, which surprised me. The M5 was perfectly uniform here. Exterior was much better with everything lining up like it should.

Ride:
The ride quality was very good, likely due in part to the weight as well. It was not harsh on sport, but retained composure over bumps. NVH was excellent, there was very little road noise and of course zero engine or drivetrain noise. On long drives it strikes me as being very relaxing to drive. Due to how heavy it feels, I can't really compare the ride to the M5 or the Charger, it is different, I can't say better or worse.


Overall I can really see the draw of the car for somebody who loves tech, like myself. However, at this price point, I expected a better interior. The gadgets and features are all really nice, but they don't excuse the fit and finish. The acceleration is addictive, so I doubt I would get anywhere near EPA driving it regularly. It is very easy to see why these cars are selling, but I would say this is primarily due to the tech and gadgets, not the luxury, which I believe BMW, Mercedes and Audi all do better at this price point.
 
Originally Posted By: surfstar
I don't often see them in white - I like it!


If I'm ever lucky enough to own one, I would like mine to be white with grey interior and grey wheels. I just love that color combo (it looks especially good with tinted windows too)
 
Good review!
How does she find the reliability? Its a fair trek to dealer from here. Also what are the service items?
Would she buy another one?
 
acceleration isn't going to affect your range. Braking, cruising speeds, accessory usage are going to be what affects the range. An electric motor doesn't have to dump fuel to accelerate like a combustion engine.
 
Originally Posted By: badtlc
acceleration isn't going to affect your range. Braking, cruising speeds, accessory usage are going to be what affects the range. An electric motor doesn't have to dump fuel to accelerate like a combustion engine.


No, but it draws more current to accelerate, which accelerates the rate at which the battery depletes. This is also why driving hilly terrain will reduce range (load).

Will it have a noticeable effect like with a gasoline engine? Probably nowhere near as significant. The overall speed will be a bigger factor.
 
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Good review!
How does she find the reliability? Its a fair trek to dealer from here. Also what are the service items?
Would she buy another one?


Reliability has been, for the most part, good. She had an issue with the charger box at her house, which they came out and replaced. You never need to go to the dealer, they apparently come to you from what I was told. Yes, she would buy another one, not having to buy gas is a big convenience.
 
New Top Gear just reviewed X1. In ludicrous mode, it beat the Hellcat (it is a TV show, so it could be fake) but that drag race did not seem to affect the range of that vehicle.
 
Originally Posted By: badtlc
acceleration isn't going to affect your range. Braking, cruising speeds, accessory usage are going to be what affects the range. An electric motor doesn't have to dump fuel to accelerate like a combustion engine.

Yes, it will. Remember: There Is No Free Lunch! Regenerative braking will help range. Ambient temp will also play a major role.
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
New Top Gear just reviewed X1. In ludicrous mode, it beat the Hellcat (it is a TV show, so it could be fake) but that drag race did not seem to affect the range of that vehicle.


No, one drag race wouldn't have much of an effect. Yes, there is increased load on the battery, but it isn't the same as the amount of fuel a gas engine would have to dump to do the same type of acceleration. Driving it hard (rapid acceleration) all the time would, overall, have an effect though, just like it does with a gas engine, but to a lesser extent.

The biggest contributor is average speed. The lower that is, the better your range for the most part:

driving-range-for-the-model-s-family-chart1.png
 
I'm guessing these cars are basically only good to putt around town in and not designed for highway road trips. It wouldn't make it from my house to my best friend's house in Dallas without running out of juice,but my car will make it on about half a tank of gas (my car has a 20 gallon gas tank) driving 85-90 mph. But then again,Texas is a huge state.
 
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